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Deadly poison suspected at Facebook facility – USA TODAY
Deadly poison suspected at Facebook facility – USA TODAY

The deadly poison Sarin was possibly discovered Monday at a Facebook mailing facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to local authorities. 

A Facebook facility in Menlo Park was cordoned off by the local fire department and two people, who local media say were exposed to it, were checked out.

Facebook says it evacuated four buildings after the suspected Sarin was discovered, and “are conducting a thorough investigation in coordination with local authorities. As of now, three of the evacuated buildings have been cleared for repopulation. The safety of our employees is our top priority and we will share additional information when it is available.

According to the CDC, sarin is chemical nerve agent, originally developed in 1938 in Germany as a pesticide, one that can evaporate into a vapor (gas) and spread into the environment.

According to Menlo Park Fire District chief Harold Schapelhouman, Facebook runs all of its mail and packages through a machine that can detect dangerous substances. Facebook learned of the potential for sarin when the machine notified workers of such.

Was it Sarin? “The machine thinks it’s Sarin,” he says. “We don’t know that it’s Sarin.”

The two workers so far “show zero symptoms,” Schapelhouman says, adding that protocol calls for them to be checked out. 

Follow USA TODAY’s Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter. 

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2019/07/01/facebook-facility-closed-fear-poison-sarin/1621743001/

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CNN Poll: Harris and Warren rise and Biden slides after first Democratic debates – CNN
CNN Poll: Harris and Warren rise and Biden slides after first Democratic debates – CNN

The 2020 Democratic race enters new phase after first debate

‘That little girl was me’: Harris’ attack on Joe Biden steals spotlight at Democratic primary debate

Fact-checking night two of the first Democratic presidential debate

Harris, Biden face-off is highest-rated Democratic primary debate in history

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Fact-checking the first night of the first Democratic presidential debate

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/01/politics/2020-democratic-candidates-poll/index.html

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Ayoola Ajayi, accused of killing MacKenzie Lueck, was once investigated for rape. And his ex-wife feared him. – Salt Lake Tribune
Ayoola Ajayi, accused of killing MacKenzie Lueck, was once investigated for rape. And his ex-wife feared him. – Salt Lake Tribune

jmiller@sltrib.com

Source Article from https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/07/01/accused-killing-mackenzie/

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Ocasio-Cortez accuses border officers of ‘violent culture’ after report on graphic Facebook posts – Fox News
Ocasio-Cortez accuses border officers of ‘violent culture’ after report on graphic Facebook posts – Fox News
Video

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez refusing to apologize for comparing migrant detention centers to concentration camps

AOC comments spark outrage for both Republicans and Democrats; Aishah Hasnie reports.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused U.S. Customs and Border Protection of having a “violent culture” and questioned how officers treat migrants after a report surfaced Monday about a secret Facebook group where Border Patrol agents purportedly posted graphic and vulgar jokes about the Democratic lawmaker as well as illegal immigrants.

CONSTRUCTION OF BORDER WALL PANELS UNDERWAY IN CALIFORNIA

“This isn’t about ‘a few bad eggs,’ Ocasio-Cortez said in a series of tweets. “This is a violent culture.”

The website ProPublica posted a story Monday headlined “Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes.” In addition to showing indifference toward the deaths of migrants, members made vulgar jokes about Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus ahead of their visit a Border Patrol facility in Texas on Monday, the story said.

In one post reported by ProPublica, a group member referenced the visits by Democrats and encouraged an officer to throw a “burrito at these b—–s.” Other posts included a vile, fake photo illustration of Ocasio-Cortez engaged in oral sex with President Trump.

“They’re threatening violence on members of Congress,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “How do you think they’re treating caged children+families?”

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection condemned the posts.

“These posts are completely inappropriate and contrary to the honor and integrity I see—and expect—from our agents day in and day out,” U.S. Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost said in a statement to Fox News. “Any employees found to have violated our standards of conduct will be held accountable.”

Matthew Klein, the assistant commissioner of the CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, said the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general opened an investigation on Monday.

“Today, U.S. Customs and Border Protection was made aware of disturbing social media activity hosted on a private Facebook group that may include a number of CBP employees,” Klein said. “CBP immediately informed DHS Office of the Inspector General and initiated an investigation”

ProPublica did not post the names of those who made the vulgar posts. But the news outlet said the Facebook group is called “I’m 10-15” and has about 9,500 members, which include current and former border officers. “10-15” is code for “aliens in custody.”

Despite the posts, Ocasio-Cortez still visited the Border Patrol facility Monday.

“Just left the 1st CBP facility,” she tweeted. “I see why CBP officers were being so physically &sexually threatening towards me. Officers were keeping women in cells w/ no water & had told them to drink out of the toilets. This was them on their GOOD behavior in front of members of Congress.”

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ocasio-cortez-accuses-border-officers-of-violent-culture-after-report-on-graphic-facebook-posts

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Birds at border prompt South Korea to launch jets, issue alert – AOL
Birds at border prompt South Korea to launch jets, issue alert – AOL

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ending a brief media frenzy, South Korea’s military said it turned out to be a flock of birds that prompted it to launch fighter jets and alert journalists that it had detected an unidentified object flying near the border with North Korea on Monday.

The South’s earlier announcement on the flying object left many media outlets scrambling, with the incident coming a day after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at a different portion of the heavily fortified Korean border.

South Korea’s military has been under fire for a possible security gap after a boat carrying four North Koreans arrived undetected recently at a South Korean port. Observers say the South’s military had likely released the inconclusive information about the flying object to media to avoid similar criticism of its surveillance posture.

The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff had said earlier Monday that its radar found “the traces of flight by an unidentified object” over the central portion of the Demilitarized Zone, a de facto border between the two Koreas.

RELATED: North and South Korea border




South Korean media, citing unidentified military officials, quickly speculated that it was likely be a North Korean helicopter flying across the border into South Korea. But pilots of the several fighter jets deployed to the area later found that the object was a group of about 20 birds, a South Korean military official said, requesting anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to reporters on the issue.

South Korea sent North Korea a message about its fighter jets’ launches to avoid unnecessary tensions, the official said.

The DMZ, which was created after fighting ended in the 1950-53 Korean War, is peppered with an estimated 2 million mines and guarded by combat troops, razor wire fences, anti-tank traps and guard posts on both sides. The two Koreas have occasionally traded exchanges of gunfire there, though animosities have eased since North Korea entered talks on its nuclear program.

Sunday’s meeting between Trump and Kim, their third, took place at the border village of Panmunjom, located inside the DMZ. Trump stepped across Panmunjom’s military demarcation line into North Korea with Kim, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to set foot in North Korea. He and Kim then turned back to Panmunjom’s southern part before sitting down for a meeting.

Earlier Monday, South Korea’s government said it hoped the diplomatic momentum created by the latest Trump-Kim meeting would help revive inter-Korean dialogue and engagement that stopped amid an impasse in nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.

“Since it’s expected that the nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang would bounce back, the government will … strengthen its efforts to create a virtuous cycle between inter-Korean relations, denuclearization and North Korea-U.S. relations,” Lee Sang-min, spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, told reporters.

North Korea’s state media described Kim’s meeting with Trump as “an amazing event” and that both leaders expressed great satisfaction over the result of their talks

The latest Trump-Kim meeting may have created momentum for further diplomacy, including working-level talks aimed at hammering out the terms of a mutually acceptable deal. But experts say it remains unclear whether the negotiations would successfully address the fundamental differences between Washington and Pyongyang that were exposed in a previous summit in Hanoi in February.

North Korea significantly reduced diplomatic activity and exchanges with the South following that summit. North Korea conducted tests of short-range missiles that could potentially threaten the South and demanded that Seoul break away from Washington and resume inter-Korean economic projects held back by U.S.-led sanctions against the North.

Last month, South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo issued a public apology amid criticism that the country’s military failed to detect a North Korean fishing boat that crossed deep into South Korean waters, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the maritime sea border, before reaching a port in Samcheok uninterrupted. South Korea sent two of the four North Korean fishermen aboard the boat back to the North, while the other two stayed in the South after expressing their desire to defect.

Some experts say the incident occurred because South Korea’s security posture has been weakened under the current liberal government of President Moon Jae-in, which seeks greater rapprochement with North Korea. But others note similar incidents, such as North Korean soldiers fleeing undetected to South Korea via the DMZ, had occasionally happened when South Korea was ruled by conservatives before Moon’s inauguration in 2017.

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Source Article from https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/07/01/birds-at-border-prompt-s-korea-to-launch-jets-issue-alert/23760763/

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Hong Kong police evict protesters who stormed parliament – BBC News
Hong Kong police evict protesters who stormed parliament – BBC News
Media captionThe BBC’s Nick Beake goes inside the Legislative Council.

Police firing tear gas have evicted protesters who earlier stormed and ransacked Hong Kong’s parliament.

Activists had occupied the Legislative Council (LegCo) building for hours after breaking away from a protest on the anniversary of Hong Kong’s transfer of sovereignty to China from Britain.

After midnight (16:00 GMT), hundreds of police secured the building following a warning to protesters to clear it.

It follows weeks of unrest in the city over a controversial extradition law.

Hundreds of thousands took part in the earlier protest – the latest rally against a proposed law that critics fear could be used to extradite political dissidents to mainland China.

Dozens of demonstrators smashed their way through the glass facade of LegCo. They were joined inside by hundreds more after police vacated the building during the evening.

Media captionThe BBC’s Danny Vincent reports from inside parliament after protesters broke into the Legislative Council

Inside, they defaced the emblem of Hong Kong in the central chamber, raised the old British colonial flag, spray-painted messages across the walls, and shattered furniture.

Protesters clad in plastic helmets and brandishing umbrellas retreated from a baton charge by riot police, who quickly overcame the makeshift barriers in front of the building.

Inside, diehard protesters were pulled forcibly outside by their fellow occupants in an attempt to completely clear the building.

Democratic lawmakers Ted Hui and Roy Kwong stood in front of police asking them to allow demonstrators time to leave the area, the South China Morning Post reported.

Within an hour, the streets around the building were clear of everyone except the media and police. Officers then began searching the rooms of the LegCo building for any possible stragglers.

No arrests have yet been reported.

Why didn’t protesters stay?

One pro-democracy legislator told the BBC that young protesters initially said they would stay all night.

“They’re saying that they would beat the police by sheer numbers, and that sounds very scary to me,” she said.

“I was a journalist and I did cover the Tiananmen bloodbath 30 years ago, and that’s exactly what those students said back then in the Chinese capital.”

Her colleague, legislator Fernando Cheung, had been inside with those occupying the building, and said he was glad they all left safely without encountering police.

Media captionDemonstrators batter their way into parliament

“If they resisted… I’m afraid there would be bloodshed, or I think the police wouldn’t be hesitant to use force to disperse them,” he said.

He praised those who came back and grabbed those who refused to leave. “They came back and they dragged them out. And we’re actually glad that happened,” he said.

Why is there unrest?

Peaceful demonstrations had been planned for Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China.

Hong Kong enjoys a “one country, two systems” deal that guarantees it a level of autonomy. Pro-democracy events are held every year to mark the handover.

This year, however, the annual event follows weeks of protests which have seen millions take to the streets over the planned extradition bill.

The demonstrations forced the government to apologise and suspend the planned law.

However, many protesters said they would not back down until the bill had been completely scrapped.

Media captionChief Executive Carrie Lam said she personally had to shoulder much of the blame for the row

However, there have also been smaller demonstrations by the territory’s pro-Beijing movement.

On Sunday, thousands of pro-Beijing protesters rallied in support of the Hong Kong police.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-48832910

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Iran says it has breached uranium stockpile limit under nuclear deal – AOL
Iran says it has breached uranium stockpile limit under nuclear deal – AOL

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran acknowledged Monday it had broken the limit set on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by the 2015 nuclear deal, marking its first major departure from the unraveling agreement a year after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the accord.

Iran had been expected for days to acknowledge it broke the limit after earlier warning it would do so. It held off on publicly making an announcement as European leaders met Friday in Vienna to discuss ways to save the accord. Iran has threatened to increase its enrichment of uranium closer to weapons-grade levels by July 7.

The announcement comes as tensions remain high between Iran and the U.S. In recent weeks, the wider Persian Gulf has seen Iran shoot down a U.S. military surveillance drone, mysterious attacks on oil tankers and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen launching bomb-laden drones into Saudi Arabia.

RELATED: Trump pulls U.S. from Iran nuclear deal




The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as making the uranium announcement. IRNA reported that Zarif, answering a reporter’s question whether Iran had broken the limit, said: “Yes.”

“If Europeans do what they have to do, our measures are reversible,” Zarif said, according to IRNA.

Zarif did not say how much low-enriched uranium had on hand, IRNA said.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed Iran had broken through the limit. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told the agency’s board of governors that it had verified the development.

Breaking the stockpile limit by itself doesn’t radically change the one year experts say Iran would need to have enough material for an atomic bomb, if to choose to pursue one. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, despite Western fears about it.

But by coupling an increasing stockpile with higher enrichment, it begins to close that one-year window and hamper any diplomatic efforts at saving the accord.

Under terms of the nuclear deal, Iran agreed to have less than 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of uranium enriched to a maximum of 3.67%. Previously, Iran enriched as high as 20%, which is a short technical step away from reaching weapons-grade levels. It also held up to 10,000 kilograms (22,046 pounds) of the higher-enriched uranium.

At the time of the 2015 deal, which was agreed to by Iran, the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain, experts believed Iran needed anywhere from several weeks to three months to have enough material for a bomb.

Zarif was quoted as also saying that the country remained on track to raise its enrichment if Europe did not take any additional steps toward saving the accord.

“The next step is about the 3.67% limitation, which we will implement too,” he warned.

___

Associated Press writer Kiyoko Metzler in Vienna contributed.

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French say oops on viral Ivanka moment – POLITICO
French say oops on viral Ivanka moment – POLITICO

Ivanka Trump was unusually out front this past week during her father’s trip to this year’s G-20 summit and then the Korean peninsula. | Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

foreign policy

‘We didn’t anticipate the reaction,’ a French official said after a video released by the French government fueled concern about Ivanka Trump’s role in U.S. foreign policy.

By RYM MOMTAZ and

07/01/2019 01:52 PM EDT

BRUSSELS — The French presidency is feeling a tad awkward after a video it posted of Ivanka Trump’s seemingly stilted interactions with foreign leaders went viral and spawned mockery, insisting that it “didn’t anticipate the reaction.”

The video caught Ivanka Trump in a discussion with world leaders during her father President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the G-20 summit. And it has fueled concern that the president’s daughter is having undue influence on U.S. foreign policy. In the clip, Ivanka Trump is shown trying to engage in a talk with a handful of foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Christine Lagarde, chairwoman of the International Monetary Fund.

Story Continued Below

The full context of the conversation isn’t clear, but at one point, British Prime Minister Theresa May says: “As soon as you charge them with that economic aspect of it, a lot of people start listening who otherwise wouldn’t listen.”

“And the same with the defense side of it, in terms of the whole business that’s been, sort of, male-dominated,” Ivanka Trump then says, smiling.

Lagarde, who had been nodding while May spoke, appears mystified by Trump’s comment and purses her lips. The IMF chief’s reaction alone has spawned numerous mocking tweets about the encounter.

In a statement, an official with the Élysée — the French presidential palace — stressed that the French government often releases clips of such moments at summits.

This particular one, the official said, “took place in the leaders’ lounge right before the sessions on gender equality of which Ivanka was one of the keynote speakers, so it wasn’t anything more than a moment of exchange like there were 100 more [of] with other leaders.”

The official noted, however, that the clip was released at a time of “a larger narrative in the U.S. about Ivanka’s diplomatic role and that goes beyond us, of course,” but that it wasn’t the French government’s intention to feed into that narrative.

“We didn’t anticipate the reaction, and once again, we are not responsible for the use made of the clip,” the official said.

Even before Trump took office, his oldest daughter — who is officially one of his advisers in the White House — has at times played the role of diplomat, traveling with her father and meeting with foreign leaders. In 2017, she stunned foreign policy observers when she briefly took the U.S. president’s place at a meeting with other world leaders in Germany at the G-20 summit, a gathering of the world’s largest economies

But even for her, Ivanka Trump was unusually out front this past week during her father’s trip to this year’s G-20 summit and then the Korean peninsula.

She gave a video “readout” of the U.S. president’s discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And she popped up in group photos of meeting participants at the G-20.

Ivanka Trump also joined her father as he walked over into North Korean territory along the Demilitarized Zone to briefly meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. No sitting U.S. president had ever been inside North Korea before. Ivanka Trump described the experience as “surreal.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ivanka Trump’s omnipresence fueled speculation about her future political plans — her father has suggested in the past that he’d be willing to nominate her for top diplomatic posts. It also spawned intense criticism about whether she had the proper background for the role she was playing.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a progressive and one of the most outspoken new members of Congress, tweeted out the video of Ivanka Trump with Lagarde, Macron and others. “It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

Plenty of observers saw humor in Ivanka Trump’s many appearances.

On Twitter, using the hashtag #unwantedivanka, critics have been posting photoshopped pictures of historic — and fictional — events that now include Ivanka Trump. In one, she’s in the water alongside the characters Jack and Rose in the movie “Titanic.”

Nahal Toosi reported from Washington.

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/01/france-ivanka-trump-reaction-1392084

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Quillette founder roasts fact-checker Snopes for casting doubt on Andy Ngo’s credentials – Washington Examiner
Quillette founder roasts fact-checker Snopes for casting doubt on Andy Ngo’s credentials – Washington Examiner

Editor-in-chief and co-founder of Quillette magazine, Claire Lehmann, took issue with fact-checking website Snopes after they shared a tweet which cast doubt on the credentials of Quillette editor, Andy Ngo, after he was violently assaulted by Antifa mobs in Portland, Oregon on Saturday.

Claire Lehmann, Quilette founder.

Ngo, a journalist who has been known to clash with Portland based Rose City Antifa in the past, was pummeled by fists, milkshakes, eggs, and possibly cement during the violent clash. Antifa protesters also stole Ngo’s camera equipment. He was hospitalized and later diagnosed with a brain bleed, but was able to leave the hospital late Sunday night, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help cover his medical expenses and recoup his lost equipment. The page had raised over $135,000 by Monday morning.

The Sunday evening Snopes tweet said, “Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo), who describes himself as an editor at the conservative website @Quillette and says he is “hated by antifa,” said he was attacked by anti-fascist protesters and had to be taken to the hospital to treat injuries to his face and head.”

The tweet, which quoted a linked article on Snopes written by the Associated Press, seemed to imply that Ngo’s account of the attack as well as his professional credits were open to interpretation. Lehmann, who has been outspoken in her defense of Ngo and condemnation of the Portland attack, was quick to correct Snopes and verify her employees claims. She tweeted, “Wtf kind of fact checking is this? Andy Ngo is indeed an editor with us, he is a journalist. And no @Quillette is not ‘conservative,’ we are all political moderates of a liberal centrist persuasion.”

Portland police officers were also on the receiving end of some of the thrown milkshakes and eggs. Police have faced criticism in the wake of the incident for not intervening at an earlier point. Three arrests were made, and the protesters were ordered to disperse by early evening.

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz slammed the mayor of Portland in a Sunday tweet saying, “To federal law enforcement: investigate & bring legal action against a Mayor who has, for political reasons, ordered his police officers to let citizens be attacked by domestic terrorists.”

Ngo, who is openly gay, is known for his sometimes conservative and controversial commentary. His widely covered assault on Saturday received uneven responses from members of the media, some of whom felt that Ngo’s attackers were in the right. Many others came to his defense, further criticizing media coverage like that of Snopes which seemed to offer more criticism of Ngo than the violent attackers.

Andy Ngo.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/quillette-founder-roasts-fact-checker-snopes-for-casting-doubt-on-andy-ngos-credentials

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Shot Alabama woman who miscarried faces homicide charge – The Times of Israel
Shot Alabama woman who miscarried faces homicide charge – The Times of Israel

WASHINGTON — An American woman who miscarried after being shot five times has been charged by Alabama authorities in the death of her fetus, a move abortion rights groups condemned.

The arrest of Marshae Jones came amid heightened tensions around abortion after more than a dozen states in the southern and midwestern United States, including Alabama, passed restrictive abortion laws that are currently being challenged in court.

“Marshae Jones was indicted for manslaughter for losing a pregnancy after being shot in the abdomen five times. Her shooter remains free. We’re going to get Marshae out of jail,” tweeted The Yellowhammer Fund, an Alabama-based group that gives financial help to people seeking abortions.

Jones, 27, was shot in December during a fight with another woman. While the shooter was initially charged by a grand jury, prosecutors dropped that case and instead brought charges against Jones, who was arrested on Wednesday.

“The investigation showed that the only true victim in this was the unborn baby,” Danny Reid, a police lieutenant in the town of Pleasant Grove where the December shooting took place, said according to the web site AL.com.

“It was the mother of the child who initiated and continued the fight which resulted in the death of her own unborn baby,” he added.

Last May, Alabama adopted a law banning abortion even in cases of rape or incest, equating it with homicide.

The law is set to come into force in November, but is likely to be blocked in court because it goes against the 1973 US Supreme Court Roe v Wade ruling that legalized abortion.

The National Abortion Federation (NAF), which supports access to abortion, said Jones’s case was one of many where women who miscarried as a result of misfortunes like prescription drug overdoses and car accidents are being prosecuted.

“This is how people — especially women of color — are already being punished & having their pregnancies criminalized,” the NAF tweeted, referencing Jones, who is black.

Most of the new restrictive abortion measures are expected to face legal challenges and eventually end up before the Supreme Court, with the laws’ supporters hoping the justices will hand down a decision restricting the right to abortion nationwide.

The top US court is now dominated by a conservative majority, including two justices appointed by President Donald Trump.

Source Article from https://www.timesofisrael.com/shot-alabama-woman-who-miscarried-faces-homicide-charge/

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In Pictures: Destruction and Debate Among Hong Kong Protesters – The New York Times
In Pictures: Destruction and Debate Among Hong Kong Protesters – The New York Times

Daylong demonstrations on Monday in Hong Kong drew tens of thousands of people and culminated in heavy damage to the building that houses the territory’s Legislative Council.

Protests that were mostly peaceful were first marred by morning clashes with the police, who used batons and pepper spray against protesters outside a ceremony commemorating the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese control. Later, the demonstrations again turned destructive when a group of protesters stormed the legislature and worked for hours to move deeper into the building, even while tens of thousands of others marched peacefully outside.

One group of protesters used makeshift battering rams to destroy the legislature’s glass windows and doors as they made their way into the building.

The following photographs give a visual timeline of the day’s events, which began around 5:30 a.m., when protesters attempted to disrupt a speech by the territory’s chief executive Carrie Lam.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/world/asia/hong-kong-protest-photos.html

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Andrew McCarthy: US goal in Iran should be regime change – Fox News
Andrew McCarthy: US goal in Iran should be regime change – Fox News
Video

EU opens trade channel to circumvent US sanctions on Iran

Iran meets with U.S. allies and other countries in Vienna in an effort to salvage the nuclear deal; Ellison Barber reports.

President Obama was dishonest while empowering Iran. President Trump is incoherent while squeezing Iran. Obviously, the latter is better. But can it work in the long term?

Trump wisely renounced Obama’s non-binding nuclear deal with the mullahs, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Even if its murky terms were followed, the JCPOA would put Iran on a glide path toward becoming a nuclear-weapons power. Besides permitting the regime to continue enriching uranium and operating advanced centrifuges, the JCPOA infused Tehran with desperately needed funding (mainly in the form of sanctions relief) while obliging the United States to support its development of an industrial strength nuclear energy program (purportedly for civilian purposes only).

Moreover, Obama lined Iran’s pockets with $1.7 billion in cash and other curious money transfers that could easily be diverted to the regime’s support for international terrorism. Simultaneously, he incentivized the regime to abduct more Americans by making these cash payments a ransom for hostages. Yet, the JCPOA did not even make a pretense of curbing Iran’s promotion of jihadist violence (Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism), nor did it abate Iran’s ballistic-missile programs.

HUSBAND OF AID WORKER JAILED IN IRAN SAYS HIS WIFE IS BEING USED AS ‘BARGAINING CHIP‘

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Trump has reimposed sanctions on Iran and deftly pressured other nations (in particular, foreign corporations and financial institutions) to resist dealing with Iran for fear of being cut off from the U.S. financial system. Increasingly a pariah, Iran has seen its oil and gas export revenues shrivel and its economy contract, and it has been forced to tap its fast-diminishing foreign-currency reserves in order to finance its basic needs as well as its military aggression.

Put succinctly, the “Death to America” regime is facing an existential crisis. The intense economic pressure from without is intensifying the political opposition from within. The restive population, whose 2009 uprisings drew no meaningful support from Obama, is stirring again.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS OPINION PIECE IN THE  NATIONAL REVIEW

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY ANDREW MCCARTHY

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/andrew-mccarthy-regime-change-iran

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Full Timeline Update: the disappearance, search, and murder of MacKenzie Lueck – KUTV 2News
Full Timeline Update: the disappearance, search, and murder of MacKenzie Lueck – KUTV 2News
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Trump administration scrambles to justify relaxing the Huawei ban – Business Insider
Trump administration scrambles to justify relaxing the Huawei ban – Business Insider

President Donald Trump has drawn fire after announcing plans to relax the ban on US companies doing business with the Chinese tech giant Huawei.

At the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on Saturday, Trump told the press he would allow US companies to continue to sell to Huawei, despite having placed Huawei on a trade blacklist in May over national security concerns. The Commerce Department ban meant no US business could sell parts and components to Huawei without a special license, though many firms reportedly skirted the ban.

Read more: Wall Street was ready for the latest twist in the trade war. Here’s how experts think Trump and Xi’s trade truce will play out.

In a later tweet, Trump said he’d reached the decision following pressure from US “High Tech companies” and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Financial Times reported last month that Google was furiously lobbying Washington to keep doing business with the company.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was quick to respond, tweeting that loosening the restrictions on Huawei would constitute a “catastrophic mistake.”

“If President Trump has in fact bargained away the recent restrictions on #Huawei, then we will have to get those restrictions put back in place through legislation,” Rubio added.

The administration’s top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, downplayed Trump’s relaxing of the ban, saying in an interview with CBS on Sunday that it applied only to “general merchandise,” which he described as “various chips and software and other services that are available all around the world, not specific to the US.”

“The president is not backing off on the national security concerns — we understand the huge risks regarding Huawei,” Kudlow said, adding that talks with China over Huawei were ongoing. “The last word is not going to come till the very end of the talks.”

Asked specifically about Rubio’s criticisms, Kudlow said: “I hope that when President Trump comes back, that he and others of us will be able to persuade Senator Rubio that there will be no national security violations.”

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/larry-kudlow-responds-to-marco-rubio-huawei-criticism-2019-7

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Canadian cartoonist loses job after illustration of Trump went viral – CNN
Canadian cartoonist loses job after illustration of Trump went viral – CNN

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/30/media/canadian-cartoon-trump/index.html

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Ivanka Trump is being edited into historic scenes with ‘#UnwantedIvanka’ after awkward G20 – AOL
Ivanka Trump is being edited into historic scenes with ‘#UnwantedIvanka’ after awkward G20 – AOL

  • People are editing Ivanka Trump into historic photos and artworks after a video went viral showing her having an awkward exchange with world leaders at the G20 summit.
  • With the hashtag “#UnwantedIvanka,” people edited Ivanka into moments from the D-Day landings to a Muhammad Ali fight.
  • The video appeared to show Ivanka try to join in talks between leaders of the UK, France, and the IMF, and sparked new criticism of her senior White House role.
  • Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that “being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification” and said Trump should bring a “qualified diplomat” to the summit.

People are editing Ivanka Trump into historic scenes with the hashtag “#UnwantedIvanka” after a video of her having an odd conversation with world leaders at the meeting of G20 leaders went viral.

The video, shared by the French government, appeared to show Ivanka trying to engage in conversation with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, and IMF chairwoman Christine Lagarde. 

The conversation seems awkward, and sparked new debate about how Ivanka, who is the eldest daughter of US President Donald Trump, landed her role as White House advisor and why she was at the summit.

Ivanka has been edited into photos of the D-Day landings, Martin Luther King’s speech, and famous artwork

Ivanka has been edited into some of history’s most important photos, from the D-Day landings, to the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, to some of the most important moments in cultural history.

Footage of the awkward talk led to renewed scrutiny over Ivanka’s role

The video, shared by the Élysée Palace — France’s equivalent to the White House — government, shows Ivanka appear to interrupt world leaders. They have shifted their bodies away from her and look away as she speaks.

You can see the video, shared on Twitter by BBC journalist Parham Ghobadi, here: 

While it is not totally clear, Ivanka seems to interrupt Macron as to agree him as he says something about “social justice.” May then says: “As soon as you talk about the economic aspect of it though, a lot of people start listening who wouldn’t otherwise listen.”

Read more:‘Painful to watch’: The French government released a video of Ivanka Trump having an awkward chat with world leaders

Ivanka then says, with a smile: “And it’s the same with the defense side. In terms of the whole ecosystem, it’s been very male-dominated.”

RELATED: Ivanka Trump as first daughter

Nick Ayers, chief of staff to Vice President�Mike Pence, from left, Jared Kushner, senior White House adviser, and Ivanka Trump, assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, listen during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, April 9, 2018. Trump�promised U.S. farmers that they will emerge from a trade dispute with China better off despite threats from Beijing to impose tariffs targeting American agricultural products. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Jared Kushner, senior White House adviser, left, and Ivanka Trump, assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, listen during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, April 9, 2018. Trump�promised U.S. farmers that they will emerge from a trade dispute with China better off despite threats from Beijing to impose tariffs targeting American agricultural products. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, left, and Ivanka Trump, assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, pose for photographers as they arrive for a dinner in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.�Ivanka Trump lauded the Japanese governments efforts to increase female workforce participation during a speech in Tokyo on Friday, giving a high-profile boost to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ‘Womenomics’ initiative. Photographer: Kimimasa Mayama/Pool via Bloomberg

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, left, and Ivanka Trump, assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, pose for photographers as they arrive for a dinner in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.�Ivanka Trump lauded the Japanese governments efforts to increase female workforce participation during a speech in Tokyo on Friday, giving a high-profile boost to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ‘Womenomics’ initiative. Photographer: Kimimasa Mayama/Pool via Bloomberg

Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, left, and Ivanka Trump, assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, pose for photographers as they arrive for a dinner in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.�Ivanka Trump lauded the Japanese governments efforts to increase female workforce participation during a speech in Tokyo on Friday, giving a high-profile boost to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ‘Womenomics’ initiative. Photographer: Kimimasa Mayama/Pool via Bloomberg

Ivanka Trump, assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, right, speaks as Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group, listens during a panel discussion at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. Near-term risks to world financial stability have declined since April amid improving macroeconomic conditions and the subsiding risk of emerging-market turmoil, the IMF said in its latest Global Financial Stability Report released yesterday. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(FILES) Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner arrive for a joint press conference by US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House on February 15, 2017 in Washington, DC.
While the new US president has shown a capacity to change, both his tone and his positions, he has been unable to show the world a ‘new’ Trump, with a steady presidential style and a clearly articulated worldview. As the symbolic milestone of his 100th day in power, which falls on April 29, 2017, draws near, a cold, hard reality is setting in for the billionaire businessman who promised Americans he would ‘win, win, win’ for them. At this stage of his presidency, he is the least popular US leader in modern history (even if his core supporters are still totally behind him.) / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN / TO GO WITH AFP STORY, US-politics-Trump-100days (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)




The footage renewed scrutiny about Ivanka’s role in the White House, which began as she started informally advising her father when his presidency began.

It continued after she was made an official adviser in 2017, as people questioned whether she was qualified to be part of the administration’s staff.

Ivanka spoke at the G20 summit’s women’s empowerment event, where she called on G20 leaders to do more to strengthen economic freedom for women around the world.

Kyodo News via Getty Images

The footage led Democrats to question why Ivanka was able to attend the G20 summit and in the position to engage with world leaders.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared the video, saying that Trump should bring a “qualified diplomat” to the summit.

“It may be shocking to some, but being someone’s daughter actually isn’t a career qualification. It hurts our diplomatic standing when the President phones it in & the world moves on,” she tweeted.

“The US needs our President working the G20. Bringing a qualified diplomat couldn’t hurt either.”

And Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu said he wanted to “hear Ivanka Trump’s explanation about this video” and asked why her husband, Jared Kushner, still has security clearance.

Kushner is also an adviser to Trump, his father-in-law, and has come under scrutiny for his high-level security clearance and his close relationships with foreign governments as he spearheads some of Trump’s policies in the Middle East.

Ivanka has previously said that neither she nor Kushner received preferential treatment while being granted clearances.

But Trump has fanned the flames by suggesting that he would put Ivanka forward for more senior roles, including leading the World Bank.

NOW WATCH: Fox News pundits are using white supremacist language tied to ‘The Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory

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Source Article from https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/07/01/ivanka-trump-is-being-edited-into-historic-scenes/23760591/

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Border agents feared riots at severely overcrowded border facility – Washington Examiner
Border agents feared riots at severely overcrowded border facility – Washington Examiner

Border agents at an El Paso, Texas, holding facility for illegal immigrants feared riots breaking out because of the complex’s poor conditions.

Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General reviewed conditions at the unnamed facility on May 7, according to an internal report obtained by NBC News. The inspectors found the facility severely overcrowded with many detainees lacking basic hygienic products, such as soap and clean clothes.

“With limited access to showers and clean clothing, detainees were wearing soiled clothing for days or weeks,” the report said.

One holding cell was overcrowded by more than 4 times its holding capacity of 35, holding 155 adult males. The cell contained one sink and toilet.

Border agents at the facility remained armed in holding areas. Agents feared that the detainees would riot and attempt to break out of the facility over the poor conditions.

The internal report leaked after DHS Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan told reporters on Friday that news reports describing poor conditions at a holding facility for illegal migrant children in Clint, Texas, were “unsubstantiated.”

The press conference was the first McAleenan had held in three months since taking over as acting DHS secretary. McAleenan spoke for about 11 minutes and took four questions before exiting.

The debate over the conditions at holding facilities for illegal immigrants has roiled Washington, D.C. The House passed a $4.6 billion bill for border funding last week after Democratic House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi conceded the border funding battle.

The Senate had already approved its version of the bill with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, placing Pelosi in a difficult position to use the bill as leverage against the Trump administration.

The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/border-agents-feared-riots-at-severely-overcrowded-border-facility

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What Trump’s Huawei Reversal Means for the Future of 5G – The New York Times
What Trump’s Huawei Reversal Means for the Future of 5G – The New York Times

One of the board’s recommendations is that the Defense Department share its low-band spectrum to accelerate the commercial development of the technology in the United States.

While sharing spectrum comes with its own security challenges, the board raised the prospect of some unique, surprising benefits: “Integration of government and civil use may provide a layer of security by allowing military traffic to ‘hide in plain sight’ as traffic becomes more difficult to see and isolate. Similarly, adversaries might be deterred from jamming this spectrum because they might be operating on the same bands.”

None of this is meant to suggest that Huawei does not represent a national security threat if the Chinese government were to use it to spy on foreign adversaries in the future. (Though, it is worth saying, there is no evidence presented publicly by any American agency that the company’s hardware has been used that way — yet.)

Nor should it be read as an apology for Huawei’s record of stealing intellectual property, which has been well chronicled.

Sharing spectrum should be only the start, however. Policymakers must grasp that the “market” in the United States isn’t working the way it should, especially when state actors like China are supporting companies like Huawei.

If the United States is going to lead the world, Washington needs to think hard about the incentives it provides companies — not only for research and development, where we are still leading, but also for manufacturing the technology that is in our national interest to control as well as what mergers it allows.

One morning in late February, Mr. Trump typed out a message on Twitter: “I want the United States to win through competition, not by blocking out currently more advanced technologies.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/business/dealbook/huawei-5g-national-security-trade.html

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Protests escalate as Hong Kong marks anniversary of handover to China – USA TODAY
Protests escalate as Hong Kong marks anniversary of handover to China – USA TODAY

HONG KONG – Combative protesters tried to break into the Hong Kong legislature Monday as a crowd of thousands were marching in that direction on the 22nd anniversary of the former British colony’s return to China.

With a crowd of a hundred or so people around them, a small group of people repeatedly rammed a cargo cart and poles into a glass panel. After they managed to get the cart wedged into the damaged panel, police grabbed the cart away from them. They also posted a sign saying to the protesters, stop charging before we use force.

The unexpected disruption delayed the march, but the crowd of thousands soon began moving out of Victoria Park even as police asked the marchers to change their route or cancel the march.

Both the combative protesters and the marchers oppose a government attempt to change extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to China to face trial. The proposal has increased fears of eroding freedoms in the territory that was returned to China in 1997.

More: Hong Kong activists: We’re protesting for our freedom from brutal Chinese authoritarianism

More: What’s next for Hong Kong? Controversial extradition bill suspended, not scrapped

The embattled leader of Hong Kong pledged to be more responsive to public sentiment in a speech at a flag-raising ceremony. Carrie Lam has come under withering criticism for trying to push through the legislation. She said a series of protests and marches that have attracted hundreds of thousands of students and other participants in recent weeks have taught her that she needs to listen better to the youth and people in general.

“This has made me fully realize that I, as a politician, have to remind myself all the time of the need to grasp public sentiments accurately,” she said in a five-minute speech to the gathering in the city’s cavernous convention center.

She insisted her government has good intentions, but said “I will learn the lesson and ensure that the government’s future work will be closer and more responsive to the aspirations, sentiments and opinions of the community.”

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Security guards pushed pro-democracy lawmaker Helena Wong out of the room as she walked backward shouting at Lam to resign and withdraw the “evil” legislation. She later told reporters she was voicing the grievances and opinions of the protesters, who could not get into the event.

The annual march starting in the afternoon was expected to be larger than usual because the proposed extradition bill has awakened broader fears that China is eroding the freedoms and rights guaranteed to Hong Kong for 50 years under a “one country, two systems” framework. Two marches in June against the legislation drew more than a million people, according to organizer estimates.

The government has suspended debate on the bill indefinitely, but protest leaders want it formally withdrawn and Lam’s resignation. They also are demanding an independent inquiry into police actions during a June 12 protest, when officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who blocked the legislature on the day debate on the bill had been scheduled to resume.

The police say the use of force was justified, but have largely since adopted softer tactics, even as protesters besieged police headquarters in recent days, pelting it with eggs and spray-painting slogans on its outer walls.

The area around Golden Bauhinia Square, where the flag-raising ceremony took place, was blocked off from Saturday to prevent protesters from gathering to disrupt it. Before the morning ceremony, protesters trying to gain access to the square were driven back by officers with plastic shields and batons, the retreating protesters pointing open umbrellas to ward off pepper spray.

“We are horrified, this is our obligation to do this, we are protecting our home,” said Jack, a 26-year-old office worker who would only give his first name. “I don’t know why the government is harming us. It’s harming the rule of law, the rule of law is the last firewall between us and the Chinese Communist Party.”

–––

Associated Press journalists Raf Wober, Alice Fung, Johnson Lai and Dake Kang contributed to this story.

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/07/01/hong-kong-protests-escalate-handover-china/1615317001/

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Servicemembers give Trump a gift in Korea – Washington Examiner
Servicemembers give Trump a gift in Korea – Washington Examiner

Members of the U.S. and South Korean military gave President Trump a token of appreciation in the form of a personalized golf jacket, during a Sunday meeting on the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

As the president wrapped up remarks to military members with South Korean President Moon Jae-in by his side, he noticed that he was being approached with a gift.

“What do you have over there? That looks good!” he quipped.

A service member then presented Trump with a jacket, saying, “We have a small token of appreciation in recognition of your visit here in the Republic of Korea. We’re grateful for your leadership —you and President Moon — and all that you do for the R.O.K.-U.S. alliance … everyone knows you’re a golfer.”

He noted the several personalized insignia on the jackets and pointed out the most important one, “Our motto here in Korea is ‘We go together.’ We hope that when you wear this on the golf course that you’ll think about the strength and the enduring nature of this R.O.K.-U.S. alliance. Mr. President, thank you very much.”

The president then shook hands of several service men and women from both nations.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/service-members-give-trump-a-gift-in-korea

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Andy Puzder: Trump’s China trade strategy could lead to historic agreement benefiting both nations – Fox News
Andy Puzder: Trump’s China trade strategy could lead to historic agreement benefiting both nations – Fox News
Video

US-China trade talks set to resume

The Heritage Foundation trade economist Tori Whiting says the Trump administration needs to focus on technology transfer, intellectual property protection and structural reforms in China.

Following Saturday’s meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Japan, it is clear that Trump’s strategic use of tariffs to end China’s rampant illegal trade cheating and intellectual property theft is putting pressure on the Chinese to negotiate a more balanced trade agreement.

It’s about time we had a president willing to stand firm and bargain hard with China to serve our national interest. 

Trump’s tough stand and refusal to turn a blind eye to China’s misconduct has the potential to open the door to trade that is genuinely free and fair between the world’s two largest economies. This could lead to a sweeping trade agreement that would be one of the most important economic compacts in world history and benefit both nations for decades to come.

TRUMP, XI REACH PLAN TO RESUME TRADE TALKS, TARIFFS ON HOLD FOR NOW

In an important vindication of Trump’s refusal to surrender to Chinese pressure, he and Xi agreed to resume stalled U.S.-China trade negotiations. Xi appears to have finally realized that unlike past American presidents, Trump is a master negotiator who will not surrender to Chinese pressure tactics. As Trump has pointed out before, a bad deal is worse than no deal.

While the talks proceed and as a show of good will, Trump said he would not impose tariffs on an additional $300 billion in Chinese imports, as he had planned to do.

However, the U.S. president wisely said he will maintain tariffs he imposed earlier on $250 billion in Chinese products to keep the pressure on China to reach a fair trade deal with the U.S.  China imposed tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. products in response to Trump’s earlier tariffs.

“We discussed a lot of things, and we’re right back on track,” Trump said after he and Xi concluded their talks. “We had a very, very good meeting with China.” Trump said the talks went “even better than expected.”

Trump also said that Xi agreed that China will buy a “tremendous amount” of U.S. agricultural products. That’s great news for America’s farmers.

In return for China’s agreement to buy more from our farmers, Trump agreed to allow

American companies to sell products to Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies. That’s a plus for the U.S. because it brings money from China into our country and supports jobs for American workers.

You would think even Trump critics would acknowledge that the president has made great progress in getting China to the negotiating table and open to reaching a final agreement. But sadly, the days when Democrats would support a Republican president negotiating with a global competitor seem to be a distant memory.

Trump’s tough stand and refusal to turn a blind eye to China’s misconduct has the potential to open the door to trade that is genuinely free and fair between the world’s two largest economies.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., made the point Saturday following the president’s obviously successful trip to Japan. Schumer criticized Trump for supposedly giving up “one of few potent levers we have to make China play fair on trade” by agreeing that American companies can sell products to Huawei.

Of course, China isn’t going to enter into an agreement where it gets nothing in return. In any negotiation, you have to give something to get something.

So what exactly did Trump give?  As stated by the president: “U.S. companies can sell their equipment to Huawei” but only “equipment where there’s no great national security problem with it.” 

Trump neither conceded nor suggested that he was backing off plans to prohibit the import of Huawei equipment for U.S. 5G telecommunications networks. That issue is the main concern of America’s intelligence community.  

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There is nothing wrong with American companies generating more revenue to support American jobs by selling non-secure products to a large Chinese company. If that’s the best criticism Schumer and his allies have got, you have to feel pretty good about the way the negotiations are going for the Trump administration – and for America.

There will certainly be hard bargaining ahead to make long-overdue repairs to our trading relationship with China. We won’t know for certain if a deal will be reached until the talks conclude. But both parties are at the table and, importantly, all Americans can have confidence that President Trump will drive a hard bargain that prevents China from continuing to take advantage of our country with unfair and illegal practices.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY ANDY PUZDER

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/andy-puzder-trumps-china-trade-strategy-could-lead-to-historic-agreement-benefiting-both-nations

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